PN toasts Muscat’s ‘stubbornness’ in first year of Labour administration

The Nationalist Party said a press conference hosted by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat on his first year of government had “only served to confirm his stubbornness”.

The PN put paid to Muscat’s claims of public consultation, accusing the prime minister of having stuck to his guns on attempting an illegal pushback of asylum seekers back in 2013, of forging ahead with a citizenship sale that attracted international opprobrium, and now with a plan to anchor an LNG vessel in Marsaxlokk bay.

“Contrary to what local and foreign experts are saying, Muscat is persisting in his wrong decision to berth the LNG terminal in Marsaxlokk Bay. Two days ago, Din l-Art Helwa’s consultant Prof. Hans Pasman told two newspapers that that berthing the terminal in Marsaxlokk was a risk to residents and that LNG should be stored outside the port,” the PN said.

The PN also accused Muscat of not being transparent on the reports on the storage of gas in Marsaxlokk, citing reports in the Malta Independent on Sunday that another report by engineer Umberto Maffezzoli had not been published, while the Times said that MEPA was not considering a proposal to have gas provided outside the port.

“In spite of the 91% of residents in the south of Malta who do not want the LNG terminal in Marsaxlokk, and despite numerous technical objections by experts, Muscat is ignoring the public’s concern. One year after the election, it is clear that the prime minister is detached from the public.”